‘Total travesty’ as cruise ship turned away from Cuba

Tuesday

Feb 19, 2019 at 3:02 PMFeb 19, 2019 at 3:06 PM

It’s been nearly 50 years since Zeida Saavedra of Delray Beach, Fla., has seen her brother, Herbert Ortega, a resident of Cuba.

That separation was to end on Valentine’s Day weekend when Saaverdra, her husband, Roberto, and hundreds of others departed the Port of Palm Beach in a charter cruise billed as a chance to connect again with loved ones.

But Saavedra’s reunification with Ortega will have to wait.

For reasons that remain unclear, the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Classica ship was denied entry into Havana on Friday by Cuban officials. The cruise marked the first time since the 1950s that a ship left the Port of Palm Beach for Cuba, according to port spokeswoman Aidy Alonzo.

On Monday morning, frustrated and angry passengers returned to the port, five days after their ordeal began.

Many of the passengers were Cuban-Americans who’ve experienced issues going back to Cuba. The charter, with prices starting around $600 and made available by a Miami-based VIVA Travel, offered the chance for their Cuban relatives to board the ship at its Havana dock and spend a day with their family members.

When the ship arrived in Cuban waters, passengers were told the island government’s minister of transportation had denied the visit and ordered the ship to leave its waters. The Grand Classica first sailed to Nassau after leaving Cuba before returning to the U.S.

“People were justifiably upset,” said Steven Gordon, 70, of West Palm Beach. “This wasn’t a group going to Disney World. This was a very personal, emotional trip for many people. It was a total travesty.”

Gordon and his wife, Sam Montross, took the cruise for a chance to see Havana, but said they were not nearly as invested as the great majority of passengers, many of whom are exiles. One passenger told Montross that a Cuban relative had traveled 600 miles to Havana for a chance to meet. That reunion was also foiled.

“It’s one thing not to get to see Havana, and another thing to be full of hope over who you are finally going to see again, and be denied,” Montross said.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines said in a statement that it had secured all the necessary travel requirements when the the Grand Classica left the Port of Palm Beach.

Eduardo Castillo, vice president of Viva Travel, told The Miami Herald that the Cuban government first said the ship could enter Havana before rejecting its entry.

“It was a little bit of chaos,” said Scott Kearns of Fort Lauderdale. “A lot of people crying. A lot of disappointment. Shock.”

Kearns said he and his wife, Shalva Berti, had paid $1,398 for an outside cabin and $150 for Cuban visas. Passengers were promised they would get their money back, but Kearns said he’s not planning another cruise to Havana.

“This is the first attempt to go to Cuba, and we don’t want to go again,” Kearns said.